Get your fill of the pre-Thanksgiving gigs
Music
I really don’t
believe in Thanksgiving. Yes, I’m thankful, but that’s everyday. I’m pretty
sure Thanksgiving Day — like the lunar landing — is made up. I’m not big on
turkey either. My friend Dick, can roast one helluva bird on the grill, but frankly, I’d prefer steak. I
do however like rock ‘n’ roll. And Thanksgiving eve has got to be the best
night for going out second only to New Years’ eve. Plus, it’s still a little
warmer outside.
So before mom makes
the big meal, gets into the chardonnay, and starts saying how she really feels, here’s what you can do on Wednesday, November 22:
Want some rock ‘n’
roll? There’ll be plenty starting with Aggressive
Betty playing the Metal For CancerBenefit
with Godrot, Kaged, Split
Rail, Perfect Symmetry Third Degree, and special guest MC Lou Grammat
The California Brew Haus, Ridge Road, 10 p.m., $5-$7.
My pick of the night
is definitely the slick hard rock triple bill on The Veins’ pre-Thanksgiving day bash with The Blastoffs and The NY
Vaults (fresh off an opening slot for The New York Dolls) at The Bug Jar, 219 Monroe Avenue,
454-2966, 9 p.m., $7. This night always sells out here so arrive early or dig
it from the line outside
It doesn’t get much
heavier than this line up at Heavy Rocathon 5 with Dirty
White Boys and Forgotten Impact at
Montage Live, 50 Chestnut Street,
232-1520, 8 p.m., call for tix.
You may not dig
tribute bands, but this Toronto group’s ability to mirror exactly whatever band
it’s copying (it ain’t just Floyd) will astound you. Classic Albums Live: Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The
Moonhappens at WaterStreetMusic
Hall, 204
North Water Street, 325-5600, 8 p.m., $12-$15.
Ex-Black Sheep
guitarist Don Mancuso‘sguitarshould sound great reverberating off the walls with his band D-Drive and guests Regi Hendrix and Puddle when
they play at the Main Street Armory, 900 East Main St, 232-3221, 8 p.m., $10.
Get mellow with Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad‘salarmingly authentic, infectious
reggae atMilestones, 170 East Avenue,
325-6490, 10 p.m., $5.
More hard and heavy
stuff for the kids with Glory Of This, Much The Same, Just Short Of Nothing, andGonculatorat
The Penny Arcade, 4785 Lake Avenue,
621-ROCK, 8 p.m., call for tix. For more classic
metal tribulation with Metal Works head
to Stooges, 511 East Ridge Road,
266-9559, 9 p.m., free.
Easily the most popular — if not the longest running — cover band in town, The Skycoastershost the 27th Annual
Turkey Bash with Uncle Plum at The
Riverside Convention Center,123 East Main Street, 232-7200, at 6-11
p.m., $10, 21+.
Cover bands abound
around town. You can bar hop these joints and see versions or virtually
anything: Guy Smiley will be at
Millennium, 2235 Empire Boulevard, 671-5539, 9 p.m., free; Joey T & The Formula at Capizzo’s,
2454 Ridge Road, Ontario, 315-524-7553, 9 p.m., free; Just For Kicks at Willow Inn, 428 Mantou
Road, 392-3489, 9 p.m., free; and Perfect
World will play The Coach, 19 West Main Street, Webster, 872-2910, at 9
p.m., free.
And if that’s a
little too loud for ya, you can go the more acoustic
route with Marty Roberts at Johnny’s
Irish Pub, 1382 Culver Road, 224-0990, at 5 p.m., free.
Thinkin’
jazz? The Bill Welch Band will play
it sweet and mellow at the ClarissaRoom, 293 Clarissa
Street, 325-5350, at 8 p.m., free. And one of my
all-time favorites, The Margaret
Explosion, will explore the stratosphere at the Little Theatre Cafรฉ, 240 East Avenue,
258-0412, 7:30 p.m., free.
Flint Creek plays
all countrified for you two-step types at The Roost, 4853 West Henrietta Road, 321-1170, 9:30
p.m., free, 21+
And then there’s the blues. No matter how much you turkeys eat, whether it’s hot and delicious
or cold and mean — there’s always room for the blues.
The Australian
harmonicat with plenty of didgeridoo voodoo, Harper retoins
to the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que,
99 Court Street, 325-7090, at 10 p.m., free. Dig the outback and the lowdown brought
together in the up close.
Looking
almost as good as they sound, Electro Kingswill bring some extra suave to the proceedings
at Beale Street II, 1930 Empire
Boulevard, Webster, 216-1070, at 9:30 p.m., free. Tony Giannavolawill get things started at 6 p.m. Billy Joe & Gypsy Lou will rock raucous at the original Beale
Street, 689 South Avenue, 271-4650, 6-10 p.m., free.
Or if you’re down by
the lake you can salute Captain Jack
Blues Band at Rab’s Woodshed, 4440 Lake Avenue, 663-4610, at 10 p.m.,
free. Rochester’s
full-o-soul favorites Coupe De Villeswill shake the joint — Merchants Grill to be
exact, 881 Merchants Road,
482-2010, 9 p.m., free. And last but not least, Last Minute Blues Band bay at The Bay, 372 Manitou Road, 392-7700, at 9 p.m.,
free.
This article appears in Nov 22-28, 2006.
